Friday, September 14, 2018

MABEL MABEL TIGER TRAINER


2 comments:

Chic Silber said...


I had known about this incredible

documentary from Roger Smith long

ago but just this week had a chance

to view it as Kenny lent me a copy

Quite a few of folks we know were

involved & are shown on screen as

very knowledgeable animal trainers

They include Roger who does a great

job & the recently departed Pat White

Trudy Wilson Strong & Kay Rosaire

are also well spoken & add much

Anyone who hasn't seen it should

Roger Smith said...

Thank you, but I dreaded Leslie Zemeckis showing up when she did to film my interview. I was barely home from total shoulder replacement surgery, and told her I would look like a murder victim just exhumed from a shallow grave. But she had a tight production schedule with cameraman Kelly Jones, and his sound-man son, Zeke. With everyone facing a time frame, they needed to be at my house the day after she interviewed Clyde Beatty, Jr., up in Oxnard. So I pulled it together, and they created a set in my living room.

It was no surprise to me that Leslie knew as much about Mabel as I did--her crack research team created 4 thick legal pads, and she was sharp with each question. We shot my interview for 6 hours. Leslie copied every page of Mabel's 4 personal albums, and Kelly carefully videotaped the details of Mabel's trunk. Over the next 2 years, Leslie continued to email questions about the more remote details of Mabel's history, right up to the moment of picture lock, and thankfully I was able to provide them.

Out of 3,000 films vying for screenings at the 2017 Santa Barbara International Film Festival, only 200 could be scheduled, and got one showing each. Possibly because of her previous track record of awards, and the fact that she is Mrs. Robert Zemeckis, Leslie got 2 screenings, on February 7 and 8. She told both audiences that she could not have made the film without me. This reflects her characteristic generosity, and indeed, it was very nice to hear. This film on Mabel has won 6 Best Documentaries, and 2 Best Directors for Leslie--so far.